One reason collectors are already excited about the prospect of getting select comics for free in May of 2012: The closest thing to Han Solo teaming up with Mal Reynolds is coming from Dark Horse Comics.

A special "flip book" issue of "Star Wars," paired with "Serenity" (based on the short-lived, much-missed Fox sci-fi series), was announced last week for Free Comic Book Day. Both stories (one of which can be read normally, and another by flipping the book upside down) are written by Zack Whedon, a writer on "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," "Fringe" and brother to "Serenity" and "Dr. Horrible" creator Joss Whedon.

Mal and Han are kindred spirits in a way, both being space cowboys with similar devil-may-care attitudes (even spawning more than a few geeky debates.) The combination of two stories from their respective universes are sure to fly off comic book store shelves in May.

Speaking of Whedon, his other creation, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is being paired in another flip book with Felicia Day's web video sensation "The Guild," another series recently translated to comics by Dark Horse.

Many fans of "Buffy" first became familiar with Day through her work on that series and "Dr. Horrible," so the Slayer pairing with Codex is a perfect fit.

Needless to say, it's going to be a little like Christmas for fans of the Whedonverse. Free Comic Book Day takes place on May 5, 2012 at a comic book store near you.

This week marks the fifth week of November and the first week following a big holiday. It has been my experience that this week - out of the whole entire year - leaves comic buyers with less new books available on Wednesday. However, one look at the release schedule this week confirms the true motive behind this anemic offering: fear. That's because this week KISS comes to Riverdale!

Yes, KISS, as in the rock band KISS, or as our friend Daniel Dean of Titan Games and Comics in Smyrna, Georgia clarified, “Starchild, the Space Ace, the Catman, and the Demon.”

If you have ever read an Archie comic, you know what is waiting for you behind the cover: A good, wholesome, fun story line that somehow never talks down to the readers.

“I daresay everyone in America has been exposed to the Archie gang at one point or another, and given their endless multimedia and merchandising dabbling the same can probably be said for KISS," Dean said. "You can just jump right in with this one, since the Archie books have always been very accessible to new readers.” FULL POST

Bernadette McDaid will never forget the moment that she first fell in love with Star Trek. She was 4 years old and playing with her dolls in the yard when her brother rushed outside and pulled her in the house to see something “important.” That was the first time she watched the Starship Enterprise seamlessly glide by on the TV screen.

“I remember seeing this incredible spaceship flying through the cosmos, which was an image I had never even contemplated, and I was hooked from them on,” she said.

McDaid, vice president of production for Science Channel, remains a self-confessed Trekker. So when word reached her that Rod Roddenberry, son of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry, was working on a documentary about his father and the Trek phenomenon, McDaid thought it was a perfect fit.

Then, Rod’s interviews with George Lucas, never-before-seen home movies and exclusive Star Trek footage began to roll through the network's office. In one of the true gems, a days-old Rod sits perched atop a model of the Enterprise in swaddling clothes, held in place by his parents.

Just profiling Gene Roddenberry would have been enough, but as the project developed, it became a truly personal look at both the creator and his handiwork, as seen through the eyes of his friends, colleagues, wife, actors, fans and ultimately, his grown son. FULL POST

About this Blog

It takes one to know one. When it comes to topics of interest to nerds, geeks, and superfans, we know how true that is. Geek Out! features stories from a nerd's perspective that you can still share with your "normal" friends and family.